Self-leveling berth



2 SheetSSheet 2.

mwwm m Patented Nov. 8,1881

D. PARKS. SELF LEVELING'BERTH}.

(No Model.)

' u. wires; Panam -mm Waxhmglon. n. c.

y U ITED STATES PATENT' OFFICE.-

DANA PARKS, or BOSTON,ASSIG-NOR on ONE-HALF T0 THOMAS r. WELLS,

. i or monnsrn'n, MASSACHUSETTS.

SELF-LEVELING BERTH.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 249,254, dated November 8, 1881'.

' Application filed September 5, 1881. (N 0 model.)

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, DANAPARKS, ofBoston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improved Self-Leveling Berth, of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,

forming a part hereof, in which- Figure 1 is a rear elevation, Fig. 2 is a plan and Fig. 3 an end elevation, of a berth embodying my invention. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of my improved berth. i

One practical difficulty which has been met in attempts made to introduce self -leveling berths into use arises from the fact that many state-rooms are but six feet between the bulkheads, and consequently the berth must be made short when constructed on any principle requiring end-play.

The main object of my present invention is to enable the berth to be of the usual length; and my invention consists in suspending the frame and bottom of the berth on separate axes, that of the frame being lengthwise and.

that of bottom crosswise, the result being that the frame of. the berth can be made very nearly as long as the distance between the bulk-heads of the state-room, and yet ample provision be made for causing the berth to remain horizontal in spite of the rolling and pitching of the vessel. 1

In the drawings, A is the frame of the berth, and B the bottom, the mattress and bedding being supported by the bottom B and capable of a limited motion within the frameA,instead of having the bottom B fast to frame A, as

heretofore.

. The frame A is hun g bystrapsato the scalebeams a, one at each end,and these beams are secured to the bulk-heads D by journalsa Thus no end-play of the frame A is required, and yet that frame is free to hang plumbfrom its long axis when the vessel rolls, if the berth be fore and aft, as it usually is, or when the vessel pitches, if the berth be athwartship.

To. provide for the pitch of the vessel when 7 the berth is fore and aft, or its roll,if the berth nals 11 Thus, as will be clear, the bottom B may hang plumb from its short axis through journals b and also hang plumb from its long axis through journals a and thus be maintained substantially horizontal, while the effective length of the berth maybe very nearly equal to the distance between the bulk-heads D; and this result is accomplished by suspend ing that part of the berth which sustains the bedding-which I have called the bottom B-- from the frame A, which is itself suspended from the bulk-heads.

In order to lessen the sidewise motion of frame A, or, more strictly speaking, to lessen the distance necessary between the rear board of frame A and the rear wa-llof the stateroomfor in reality it is the rear wall of the stateroom which ceases to be plumb as the vessel rolls, and not the fra1ne Athe straps a should be jointed to beam a and also to frameA, and regulating-straps a should be used to limit the motion of frameA, these regulating-straps being each jointed at one end to frame A and at the other end to the bulk-head. For a like reason the straps I) should be jointed to the bottom B and also to beam 12, and the arms I) be secured to frame A and bottom B. These arms I) also serve to make the bottom B less sensitive to changes of his position by the occupant. The short chains [1 limit the motion of bottom B on its short axis 11 (See Fig. 1.) The friction-rolls I) reduce the friction of bottom B against frame A, and the friction-rolls a reduce the friction of beam at on its journal 0 The lee-board F may be fast to the bulkheads, or may be dispensed with, as the front board of the frame A answers the same purpose.

I am aware of Patents No. 125,729, of April 16, 1872, and No.233,376,of October 19, 1880, the first of which describes a berth hung on its shortaxis in a framewhich is hungon its long axis, and the second of which describes a berth my invention is the berth composed of the frame hung on its long axis and the bottom hung on its short axis, this frame and bottom together making the berth, and. enabling me to put a berth five feet eleven inches long inside in a state-room whose bulk-heads are only six feet apart.

I claim 1. In a self-leveling berth, the frame A,the ends of which form the head-board and footboard of the berth proper, and bottom B, suspended on separate axes, the frame A being suspended, substantially as described, at head and foot, and the bottom B, forming the bottom of the berth, being suspended from the side pieces of frame A, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

2. In a self-leveling berth,the frame A, suspended by means of straps a from the scalebeams a, journaled on the bulk-heads,in combination with the bottom B, suspended by means of straps b from the scale-beams b, journaled on the side boards of the frame A, substantially as described.

' DANA PARKS.

Witnesses:

' J. E. MAYNADIER,

Tnos. F. WELLs. 

